GM Phntm888's Rise of the Runelords Campaign

Game Master Phntm888

Talia Burrows wrote:

"Have you seen the lighthouse yet? I've been wanting to do so ever since Quink's last publication!"

"I haven't been since his last publication, no; we were just heading that way, actually. Care to join us? You can give me your take on his latest work on the way. Do you think we have time before lunch? I want to see the lighthouse again, but I don't want to miss lunch either..."

"Lunch first." Talia says cheerfully. "Always eat when you can, and festivals are more fun with food anyway. Besides, the Lighthouse is going anywhere is it?"

Isabella curtseys to Talia and says, "Pleased to meet you. Um, I'm not sure if food is being served yet? I suppose we can check before we walk all the way up to the Old Light."

"Cathedral Square is on the way to the lighthouse, we could just swing by and see if there is food yet. I won't be too upset about missing any games, if the ceremonies get started; we can always go look at the lighthouse later." Rasmorn says, with an agreeable bob of the head.

Looking over at Talia, Rasmorn says "So what have you been up to lately? Been on any exciting expeditions since our trip out to the Crystilan?"

Talia smiles at Isabella. "Oh I wasn't talking about anything formal for a meal, just stuffing my face on what the stalls have to offer." She looks a little rueful. "Maybe one day I'll grow up enough not to run around festivals trying every treat on offer."

Looking back to Rasmorn. "No, nothing exciting I'm afraid. Just going around knocking on doors trying to get employed." A shrug. "You know how it is Ras, you have to make your name before the jobs start coming to you."

Rasmorn looks slightly annoyed when referred to as "Ras", and says to Isabella "Rasmorn Nikas Nesvyn von Natterhorn; is that really so hard to say? It's bad enough I already go by just the one name, when I came up with 5 perfectly good names, but she insists on shortening it even further. I ask you, is 'Rasmorn' really that complicated? By the end of our last expedition, she had the whole crew referring to me as 'Ras'."

Rasmorn takes in the scene, and smiles warmly at the man trying to help the boy win the game. He quietly says "How nice of him to help like that".

He quickly disregards the idea of trying to aim that beast of a catapult himself, and turns his eye to the real reason he came out this far - the ruined remains of the great lighthouse. (I wonder if old Quink could be right about this place? How fascinating that would be).

"She's a beauty, isn't she? Crazy murder base besides, of course. Still a magnificent structure!" Turning to his companions, he asks "Do either of you want to try your hand at the game? I think I'll pass."

"Oh, what an amusement! Aesrick!" she shouts. "You've outdone yourself!"

To Rasmorn she says, "I'm not sure that siege weaponry is in my forte, Rasmorn, but I do love seeing it make so many people happy."

She points at the Old Light and says, "I suppose it could be some kind of watchtower; that's all a lighthouse is, really. But I am not sure about how it would be a weapon like Master Quink theorizes. Perhaps you could explain it to me better? I'm not much on military history."

Having realized that Shalelu might not make an appearance in all the crowds, Yasu found himself stuck with nothing to do but enjoy the day. The man continues to wander, coming up Junker's way and stepping around the group. His eyes flash with sadness for but an instant when he realizes Isabella is there, and he quickly turns to Aesrick and hands him three silver pieces.

"I'll... give it a couple of shots, Aesrick." Yasu says. "What's left over... I guess use it in case a kid doesn't have enough, okay?" The last request is spoken quietly between him and Aesrick, not meant to be a grand gesture or a show of money.

He moves the catapult with ease, but his aim isn't very spectacular. He does manage to knock down one stone, but he doesn't seem very pleased with himself.
CATAPULT: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 - 4 = 13

She points at the Old Light and says, "I suppose it could be some kind of watchtower; that's all a lighthouse is, really. But I am not sure about how it would be a weapon like Master Quink theorizes. Perhaps you could explain it to me better? I'm not much on military history."

Rasmorn nods along with Isabella as she talks, then responds. "Well, in looking at the ruins we have today, it is clearly a tower of some sort. See the flat area at the top?" he asks, pointing it out. "There are a lot of Thassalonian markings and writings all over that area. It is hard to know for sure, but many of these markings seem to indicate that there was a light of some sort there, which is why most assume it was a lighthouse. Quink believes, though, that those markings indicate that it was actually a massive weapon, meant to attack all the way to another nation! So it wouldn't be an ordinary weapon, even a siege weapon like these catapults; instead, it would be an offensive weapon meant to strike with fire from across the sea. A truly massive and scary thought."

Rasmorn is pensive for a moment, then continues - "His theories are not without merit, but mostly I don't agree with him simply from a lack of evidence. Such a massive tower could be a weapon, but it seems more likely that it's use was much more simple than all that." He gestures over to the masked man currently using the catapult. "I see it much the same way as I see that fellow over there. He is large, clearly strong, and wears a hood and an imposing mask. It would be easy to assume that such an intimidating package conceals terrible violence; however, in truth, he is probably just a large man who enjoys a good mask. I find that the simple answers tend to be right more often than not."

Isabella nods along as Rasmorn explains. "I'm not fluent in Thassilonian, so I don't understand all the writing on there. I suppose if it was some kind of weapon, all of the workings would have been stripped out long ago by opportunists, so that would certainly leave a hollow shell with nothing more than some stairs and walls. But yes, it's hard to say definitively, when little remains besides the structure. I suppose it's somewhat like looking at some scraps of cloth and trying to deduce whether they came from the sewing of a bodice or a tunic," she says thoughtfully.

"Thank you for indulging my curiosity," she continues. "Perhaps a diviner could use magic to learn more about the past of the place?"

Isabella nods along as Rasmorn explains. "I'm not fluent in Thassilonian, so I don't understand all the writing on there. I suppose if it was some kind of weapon, all of the workings would have been stripped out long ago by opportunists, so that would certainly leave a hollow shell with nothing more than some stairs and walls. But yes, it's hard to say definitively, when little remains besides the structure. I suppose it's somewhat like looking at some scraps of cloth and trying to deduce whether they came from the sewing of a bodice or a tunic," she says thoughtfully.

"Thank you for indulging my curiosity," she continues. "Perhaps a diviner could use magic to learn more about the past of the place?"

Rasmorn nods emphatically at her comparison to the scraps of cloth. "That is a really good analogy for it; difficult to tell much at all about the original use when all you have are the scraps! The traps of studying history, I'm afraid. Divination isn't really my magical forte, so I couldn't tell you for sure. Seems like it could help, but then again, I would imagine what divination could be attempted without tearing down the structure would have been long since done. Perhaps not, though. Hard to say."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Looks like Wenona is too enamored with the cute lizards to notice anything amiss!

After enjoying the Dragon Races for some time, Wenona decides it best to see a least a few more sights of the festival rather than ossifying at a single event. Noticing the sack races, she meanders in that direction.

Her stomach gurgles. I ate light for most of the trip here, and that jerky was delicious but seems to have just made me hungrier. Hopefully lunch will be served soon!

After a spell of leaning against a building and loitering, Laufey grows restless. She decides to burn some time before the meal by wandering around and looking at the wares for sale. A scarf, if it was just right, might not be out of line to spend on. They're endlessly useful, and having more than one might be a good idea.

As mid-day comes, the townspeople seem to all flock back towards Cathedral Square. The smells of lunch permeate the air as there is a sense of anticipation. With the crowd gathered, Father Zantus and several acolytes wheel a wagon covered by a cloth into the square. Father Zantus steps up to the stage, and as he holds up his arms the crowd quiets. He then says, "It is on this day, the first of Rova, that we remember the blessings Desna has for those who show kindness to travelers and strangers. Many years ago, an avatar of Desna was fighting the foul goddess, Lamashtu, Mother of Monsters. The avatar was injured, and fell to Golarion. There, as She lay wounded, She was found by a girl who could not see. The blind girl knew only that she had found someone who was wounded, and so the girl took Her to a place of safety and nursed Her back to health. Once She was healed, Desna turned the girl into a beautiful, immortal swallowtail butterfly so she might see the wonders of the world for all time. It is in remembrance of Desna's glorious blessing upon one who sought only to heal her that we commemorate this day with the release of the swallowtail butterflies."

He motions to the acolytes, who remove the cloth, and hundreds of swallowtail butterflies emerge, creating a beautiful rainbow of floating color. Several children excitedly jump up and down as the crowd ooohs and aaahs at the butterflies. Smiling, Father Zantus says, "The swallowtails shall be here all day, I am sure. And now, as you must be getting hungry, the proprietors of our inns have prepared a wonderful lunch for you, free of charge. Please, enjoy yourselves, and return here at dusk for the consecration of the Cathedral."

Three of the inns - the Rusty Dragon, the White Deer Inn, and the Hagfish - have set up food stalls in the square. There are also tables and benches set up at which people can sit and eat. The Rusty Dragon's owner, Ameiko Kaijitsu, has prepared a curried salmon. Garridin Viskalai of the White Deer Inn has prepared a peppercorn venison, and one-legged Jargie Quinn has prepared a lobster chowder. All smell good, although the line for the Rusty Dragon is the longest.

Rasmorn smiles gently as the butterflies are released. (How pretty) His gaze lingers on them for a moment, and then is drawn down to the various food stalls.

He looks to his companions. "Do either of you have a lunch preference? I haven't had a good bowl of lobster chowder in a long time, but I also know that Ameiko makes some amazing food."

"I'm angling for some of the peppercorn venison, myself," says Isabella. "Though I could do with a small cup of chowder to go with it."

Wenona marvels at the swallowtail butterflies as they pour into the sky. Her heart wells up a bit: It has been some time since she'd witnessed such a joyous testament to her goddess.

Presented with the lunch options, she was briefly torn. Curry had been available in Kaer Maga (because everything is available in Kaer Maga) and had quickly become one of her favorite foods.

However it had been years since she'd had seafood in a proper seaside town, and her palate couldn't resist the comfort of nostalgia. She lined up for the lobster chowder, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.

Talia nods in agreement with Isabella. "The venison sounds good. Then we can try the chowder if we're still hungry. And maybe the line will have cleared and we can have some of the curry as well."

Rasmorn probably remembers that Talia seems to have hollow legs with how much she eats, yet always stays slender somehow?

Rasmorn looks incredulously over at Talia. "All three? You must be a magic user of some sort, to eat as much as you do and stay so small. Every expedition was the same way, yet she never looks any different." He shakes his head. "Venison works for me!"

The release of the swallowtail butterflies is beautiful, but only a temporary diversion for Laufey. Her stomach is seriously rumbling by the time lunch is available. She had traded away any hope of breakfast for the extra sleep this morning, and the bread the masked man had given her hadn't gone very far.

She found herself longing for seafood but she doesn't know what chowder is. The salmon has an appealing but strange spiced aroma. She might have chosen it at another time, but the risk of it being inedible is too great when she is so hungry. It had been a long time since fish, but it would have to be a little longer.

As she joins the line for venison, How can you screw up venison? she sees a coterie of very odd people in the line a little ahead of her. First there is a gnome. She had seen gnomes in Kalsgard of course, but not like this one. He looked as if all the color had somehow been drained from him, like a person who has been bled too much with leeches can lose their color. But in his case, even his hair had gone white.

Beside him is a woman of some considerable beauty, also white, or maybe silver haired. She is human certainly, but there is something else about her that Laufey can not quite place. Human but more, or altered? She does not look right for a changeling or skinwalker though.

But it is the last of the three who excites her. A woman with dark hair who is certainly a half-elf! Laufey had only seen one other before, a man on a crowded street in Riddleport. He did not look like the type to answer questions or greet a stranger with kindness. But here, in this small town, on a merry day like this? I must meet her! What will she be like? I wonder if she speaks elven? Does he know any elves? Then there are some darker notions. Did one of her parents murder the other? Did she have her nose broken because she refused to be mocked by other children?

There are so many questions. But the first to deal with is How do I meet her? What do I say?

Isabella chuckles at Rasmorn's comment and says, "I know the feeling, if I eat too much rye bread my hips turn into dinner rolls too!"

The butterflies are beautiful, and it fills him with wonder when they swirl through the air before departing. Wow! I think there's nearly twice as many as they usually have! This festival's a big deal for the church! he thinks. As a Sandpoint citizen, he finds these things to be great fun. Watching the children jump and holler, some trying to catch a butterfly, makes something in his heart twist up. They don't know how great they've got it. But... I'm glad they do.

Yasu makes sure to be in line for the salmon as soon as it opens. He could go for the Venison, but he eats that regularly so it's more blaze to him. Why go for something you hunt for all the time, when you could have CURRY?

Wondering about the woman who had treated him decently, he looks around to see she's in line for the Venison. Probably a good idea. She was hungry. he thinks with a chuckle. However, that fades when he sees the people standing in line before her. The silver-haired girl standing in line just a couple down reminded him, and he turns back to what he's doing, hoping that the curry is enough to distract him. I don't want to think about it. It's not like she chose to be what she is either.

Getting to the front, he gives Ameiko (who would be presumably promoting her inn while serving the food) a big smile. "Some of the curry please." he asks, "By the way, have you seen Shalelu? I've been wanting to ask her about ranger work, but... you know how hard it is to find her when she doesn't want to be found."

Glancing around while waiting (impatiently) Talia notices an exotic looking Half-elf woman behind them in the line.

While Talia is familiar with Half-elves the woman's coloring and height mark her as coming from far away. She gives her a friendly smile as waves her to join the group.

"Greetings to you Sister." She says in an easy voice. "I like your hair."

Talia is easy going and tends to say what she thinks, being friendly until treated otherwise.

There you go Laufey. Welcome to 'S.H.E' The Sisterhood of Half-elf Extraordinaires. :)

Smiling at Yasu as she hands him a plate of the salmon, Ameiko says, "Likely she's somewhere out in the hinterlands. She doesn't like spending a lot of time in towns - she likely won't be through for another month or so, based on her last supply visit. You could speak to Sheriff Hemlock and see if he would have anything you could do to help the town guard."

Receiving her bowl of chowder and spoon, Wenona thanks Jargie Quinn and abandons all pretense of restraint as she digs in while casually scanning for an open seat at a bench.

She notices the gaggle of odd characters in line for the White Deer's offering: two half-elves, a gnome, and a... human? There was something odd about her, though Wenona couldn't quite place it from a distance.

In Kaer Maga the group would have hardly stood out, but in considerably less cosmopolitan Sandpoint they drew the eye a bit.

Smiling at Yasu as she hands him a plate of the salmon, Ameiko says, "Likely she's somewhere out in the hinterlands. She doesn't like spending a lot of time in towns - she likely won't be through for another month or so, based on her last supply visit. You could speak to Sheriff Hemlock and see if he would have anything you could do to help the town guard."

Yasu takes his plate and thanks her. "I'll do that. I think I'll wait for him to be less busy though, I bet the festivities will have him busy for the day. Thank you."

Rasmorn looks up at the new arrival as Laufey joins their little knot of people. "Hello there! My name is Rasmorn Nikas Nesvyn von Natterhorn" he says cheerily. "Do you live in town here, or are you visiting for the festival?"

It shocks Laufey when the dark haired woman calls out to her. For a moment she doesn't respond except to absently touch her hair with her hand. Then she walks over to the woman and her friends.

"Greetings. Thank you... It is a pleasant day is it not?....You are um... part elf? I have never met another before..."

Rasmorn looks up at the new arrival as Laufey joins their little knot of people. "Hello there! My name is Rasmorn Nikas Nesvyn von Natterhorn" he says cheerily. "Do you live in town here, or are you visiting for the festival?"

Looking down toward the gnome Laufey smiles slightly. "My name is Laufey. I came yesterday with a caravan. I did not know of this festival until I was here."

Looking down toward the gnome Laufey smiles slightly. "My name is Laufey. I came yesterday with a caravan. I did not know of this festival until I was here."

"How fortuitous! Must have been a nice surprise. Where are you from?"

Wenona manages to spot a table only half-full, and quickly snags a spot on one of it's benches. She smiles and nods politely to the townsfolk at the table and proceeds to continue eating her chowder.

In reply to the gnome Laufey says "I am from Karlsgard, in the Thanelands. I left there some while ago and I have since traveled with caravans as a guard here. I have come to this town to hunt the Sandpoint Devil."

By the end of lunch, it is clear that the most-talked about dish will be Ameiko's curried salmon. The winterdrop mead served with it is also a huge hit, clearly overshadowing the offerings provided by the White Deer and the Hagfish.

The pie-eating contest in the afternoon (pies provided by Alma Avertin of Sandpoint Savories) is a good fun, as a dozen contestants each try to eat their blackberry pies the fastest. Jargie Quinn is able to get some of his own back from lunch, as he finishes first and receives the prize. In his speech, he chalks up his success to how he lost his leg, launching into yet another variation of the story of his injury.

Finally, as dusk draws near, everyone once again gathers before the Cathedral in preparation for the consecration. There is an excited tone to the crowd, an eagerness that seems to prevent them from being silent, even after Father Zantus takes the podium. Eventually, he pulls out a small rock and throws it down onto the stage. The stone lets out a loud crack, as though a peal of thunder had struck, and everyone grows hushed. A dog can be heard barking, woken from its napping by the loud noise. Father Zantus clears his throat, and begins to speak what is recognized as the Prayer of First Dreaming.

"Almighty Tender of Dreams, it is at this dusk that we beseech you..."

Suddenly, the dog's barking grows high-pitched and cuts off mid-sound, ending in more of a yelp. The crowd towards the northern end of the square begins screaming, as the panic quickly spreads through the crowd and they begin running about. As they clear out of the way, you can finally see what the cause of the commotion is - five short creatures with huge heads and ears with large mouths full of pointy teeth, wielding some sort of sword that looks like it might be made of scrap metal. They laugh almost maniacally as they stand over the body of the barking dog, and begin to sing with horribly off-key voices in their language.

Intiative Order
Talia - can post
Goblins
Yasu
Wenona
Laufey
Isabella
Rasmorn

Current Battle Map

Talia is up. We'll use block initiative, and I'll denote when each person is able to post, and then resolve their actions in Initiative order. The map is a Google Drawing. Everyone should be able to move their token. Since I can't lock the background, please take care not to move the map itself.

Also, the lowest initiative I rolled for this fight is an 18. I have some PbP characters whom I suspect I'll want some of those rolls for.

Talia uses her crossbow and shoots at the closest Goblin. Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Critical confirm?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 -Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

A promising beginning.

Calling out. "Get them before they can get to the children!"

Talia Sneak Attack Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Whipping out her crossbow, Talia points it at the closest Goblin and pulls the trigger. The bolt flies from her crossbow, hitting the Goblin in his overly large head. His body goes head over heels before crashing to the ground, unmoving. Dead

Two of the Goblins begin charging towards Laufey, eager to slay the pale-haired, slightly pointy-eared woman. One, however, stops halfway there as he spies a silver piece that had been dropped on the ground, scooping the shiny up and putting it into his pocket. The other, expecting to have help as he attacks, suddenly finds himself alone and misses his intended target before turning and yelling at the other in Goblin.

Another standing near the cart suddenly spies some salmon and venison left nearby, setting his dogslicer down and shoving the food in his pockets. Flat-footed

The final Goblin points his dogslicer at Talia and shouts in Goblin.

He then charges towards her, swinging his sword. The blade comes dangerously close to gashing her belly, but due to the goblins short reach, it ends up cutting her thigh, avoiding the most vital parts. Crit, 4 damage

Intiative Order
Talia
Goblins
Yasu - can post
Wenona - can post
Laufey - can post
Isabella - can post
Rasmorn - can post

Current Battle Map

Somewhat startled, Isabella is caught quite off-guard. She is neither armed nor armored, as she was expecting a simple festival. She draws her dagger - the only weapon she's currently carrying - and lunges at the goblin that slashed Talia.

Dagger attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

When the goblins appeared, Wenona's initial instinct had been to attempt to cover as many townsfolk as possible while they fled, but then one of the women she'd seen in line for the venison drew her crossbow and felled one of the foul creatures. It was quick-as-lightning, and Wenona was more than a little impressed.

Then one of the little freaks charged right at the woman and sliced her damn leg open.

Looks like we're all playing hero today, she thought to herself as she sprung into action.

Drawing her scythe as she moves into the fray, she attempts to juke just outside of the pint-sized terror's reach:

Acrobatics to avoid AOO

Dart & Weave: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

...and moving to flank the creature with silver-haired woman, brings the scythe down with every ounce of force her muscles can generate:

Power Attack, Furious Focus

Harvest Time!: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Damage: 2d4 + 7 ⇒ (3, 2) + 7 = 12

Yasu draws an arrow and pulls it as he takes a step forward, firing a shot at the one stuffing a coin in his pocket.

Bow shot: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 1 = 16 (Point-Blank Shot:+1 attack/dam)
Bow damage: 2d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4, 2) + 3 + 1 = 10

"Ugh! How'd they get so far into town without anyone noticing?" he shouts.

Rasmorn backs away calmly from the goblins, keeping an eye on the one in the back. Laufey is a caravan guard, I'm sure she can take that goblin. Best keep the last one from approaching.

With a shout and a gesture, Rasmorn casts a spell, and a large lion appears in the midst of the goblin ranks. Rasmorn calls out in their language.

Silent Image, DC16 will save to disbelieve if interacted with, area marked by the green square on the map. My movement on map is assuming Wenona killed the goblin next to me; otherwise, movement would just be a five-foot-step down and left of previous position.

Laufey is quite thrown by the sudden appearance of attackers during the consecration. The singing, cavorting little creatures seem more like surprise entertainment than a real threat. There are so few of them, and they are so small. Who would do something so insanely suicidal as attack a crowd like this?

That impression lasts only a moment though, she also sees the real dead dog. And then two of them are rushing her with surprising speed, at least until one of them gets distracted and stops to grab something on the ground. Just as quickly three of them are dead. One almost immediately takes a bolt to the head. The one who stopped for the object is skewered by an arrow. A woman cuts down the one who made it far enough to attack the woman Talia, slashing it apart with, of all things, a scythe!

With so much to take in, plus a slash from goblin to her to side-step, Laufey is hard-pressed to draw her sword and respond. She does't have her balance or concentration in place when she swings.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Yasu, seeing the Goblins charging Laufey, draws an arrow to his greatbow and lets fly, taking one who was foolish enough to stop and pick something up in the torso and spinning him to the ground. Dead "Ugh! How did they get so far into town without anyone noticing?" he shouts, though he is unsure if anyone will answer.

Slipping past the creature's reach, Wenona unlimbers her scythe, driving it down in a powerful overhand strike which embeds the blade in the creature's head. The creature falls to the ground immediately under the force of the blow, and lies still. Dead

Laufey, confused and surprised by the Goblin attack, and still not quite sure if they are part of the entertainment or actual raiders, draws her sword and strikes at the one who charged her. The confusion she feels, however, causes her to swing off-balance, and she swings the sword over the creature's head.

Rasmorn draws upon his magic studies, casting a spell that causes a lion to appear, menacing the one remaining by the cart. He lets out a shriek at its sudden appearance, and Rasmorn demands the Goblin's surrender.

Intiative Order
Talia - can post
Goblins
Yasu
Wenona
Laufey
Isabella - can post (Round 1)
Rasmorn

Begin Round 2. Talia is up. Isabella, if you would like to take a different Round 1 action, since Wenona killed the one you were going to attack with your dagger, you may.

Talia will move to the side and shoot at the Goblin on the table, the one not in combat. Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 Damage?: 1d8 ⇒ 8

With the goblin slain before she can even get her dagger out of its sheath, Isabella instead counts on calling down a blessing on the embattled townsfolk.

"Reymenda, don't let this happen again," she whispers. "Not again."

Casting bless for the usual +1 to attack rolls and +1 to saves vs. fear for everyone.

Round 1
Isabella preys to Reymenda, asking for her blessing to aid in the defense of the town. Her holy symbol glows momentarily as the blessing settles on her erstwhile allies, helping to guide their aim and fortify their courage.

Round 2

Talia moves to get a clear shot of the furthest Goblin, but she is unable to steady her aim on her injured leg and the bolt from her crossbow goes wide.

The Goblin who attacked Laufey, seeing his friend get taken out, shouts something yet again before turning and hacking at the off-balance caravan guard, catching her a blow to the thigh that leaves blood running down her leg. Crit, 6 damage

The Goblin on the table grabs his dogslicer and leaps at the lion, bringing down his weapon in a fierce overhand chop - which misses the target completely as he lands in front of the beast. Snarling, he prepares to face off with it, focused on it as his main threat.

Intiative Order
Talia
Goblins
Yasu - can post
Wenona - can post
Laufey - can post
Isabella - can post
Rasmorn - can post

Round 2 continues. There are 2 goblins left.

The cut stings. It continues to keep Laufey's head out of what she's trying to do. Again she fails to catch the little monster's body with her weapon. But now she is beginning to realize something.

Ah, these must be the goblins I have heard so much about since coming to Varisia.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 1 = 10

Isabella glances at the tactical situation, then tries to help Talia to finish off the threat between them.

Dagger attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 (includes +2 flanking and +1 bless)

Miss, I presume.

Seeing one of her other companions-by-circumstance catch a blade from one of the goblin invaders, Wenona moves to assist her. She swipes her scythe in a horizontal arc towards the creature...

Power Attack, Furious Focus

Scythe: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

I feel pretty confident that's a miss, sooo...

...and curses loudly as she cleaves nothing but air.

Rasmorn continues to concentrate on his illusion, while also running to get into a better position to pester the goblin. He causes the lion to take a swipe at the goblin, but purposefully makes it "miss" the little beast.

Swift action to maintain concentration (because of Effortless Trickery), full-round run action to move at 4x speed

Yasu draws another javelin-like arrow and pulls back, the muscles on his arms bulging and rippling unnaturally with the exertion. The one engaged with the illusory lion seems to be distracted, so he turns on the one attacking his only 'friend' in the city.

Greatbow Shot: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 25 (Bless and PBS)
Damage: 2d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2, 6) + 3 + 1 = 12

His arrow nails the goblin to the ground, impaling it before Laufey's feet. The arrow quivers loudly with halted force.

Yay! I feel helpful! Just can't wait till I get gravity bow...

The Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path begins here, in the small coastal town of Sandpoint. Five years after a tragic fire and spate of brutal murders, the people of Sandpoint eagerly anticipate the Swallowtail Festival to commemorate the consecration of the town’s new temple...

I am looking for 4-6 players to participate in the Rise of the Runelords AP. I will be using the Anniversary Edition, with some modifications based on material that has come out since the release in 2012 (re-statting NPCs and such). I ran this previously in a face to face game up through the end of book 5, and the changes all seemed to work very nicely. I don’t promise to be the best GM ever (because I’m not), but I promise to put my best effort forward. Ideally, I would like everyone to post at least once per day, although I understand that real life can sometimes make that difficult (for me as well). I will try to do the same, although there may be periods of where it’s difficult for me too. Alternatively, if you guys are having a good RP session amongst yourselves, I’ll keep quiet so as not to interfere.

Submission Requirements
1. Stats
2. Backstory
3. Appearance & Personality
4. Time Zone (Doesn’t actually factor into the decision, but it does help me ballpark when someone is likely unable to post)

An alias is not required for submission (because they accumulate so quickly), but will be required for the game itself. It will also make it easier for me to find your character, although I will Favorite posts that do not have an alias. One submission per player, please.

Recruitment will run until 11:59 PM EST on September 30. I will make my decision by October 3, with Gameplay officially starting on the 4th. I want to give people time to see the recruitment and submit their characters, as well as have time to make a character they are happy with.

Back in a bit with a submission! :D

I just applied a cleric in a re-recruitment for a Runelords game, and didn't get picked, but the standards for characters were very similar to yours, so why not take another shot!

Oh, man, this seems very interesting!

I'm thinking about making an Ulfen psychic duelist if that's okay. I'll be writing his backstory and crunch soon.

Can we use a trait from "Shadows under Sandpoint" as our campaign trait?

Psychic okay, psychic duelist...I don't know that that would be as good a fit. Most foes won't be anywhere near the same level of psychic dueling skill you would be at, which could upset the balance of the game.

Make the character. If you get in, we'll see how it goes. Would you be willing to rebuild into a normal psychic if the dueling begins to be unbalanced in terms of combat?

Campaign Trait from Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, please. They are specifically tailored into the AP.

Hooray! I've been hoping an ROTRL campaign would come along soon!

Laufey is my application character. She's an Urban Bloodrager with the Arcane Bloodline.

I believe everything is in place for her. Backstory is complete but I'll need to recheck the build yet for any mistakes. She has Monster Hunter as a campaign trait, but I'd be happy to switch to Giant Slayer if another accepted character had the same trait to prevent duplication.

Would it be alright to add the Primalist archetype to Urban? It seems to be legal. I'm not planning on trading everything out for rage powers, just once, possibly twice after 12th level.

Ok, I have a healer here!

Isabella Monstrance was built out to explore a character who's touched by healing and restorative powers and who uses her painful past as a motivator to push forward and do good for others. She's an aasimar cleric of Reymenda, the Empyreal Lady of loss. She's built per spec with 20 point buy, max starting wealth, three traits one of which is RotR, etc. This character is built as a support character, able to give good healing and enhancement magic. In a pinch she could give flanking bonuses in combat, though her not-great Armor Class means that front-line fighting is not her greatest strength.

Storywise, the character is good emotional support, a hopeful spirit who consoles people who are down and helps them to find their own path to happiness.

The character alias includes a description and background.
I'm in Pacific time zone (California).

I am a regular player and DM on the boards, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!

I should note I am currently in another Runelords PBP that is partway thru book 1 (with a different character, of course).

Definite dotting.

I'll submit a skill monkey, probably a Unchained Rogue because I want to see how the new Rogue goes, and I've always wanted to play ROTRL.

I'm game been wanting to try this PBP stuff I'm a noob to the whole PBP but will submit something in a day.

Ah, forgot to give my time zone. Pacific, I'm in Oregon.

Dotting… and who doesn’t want to play the original Adventure Path? Ok the instructions: my time zone is EST.

I thought it would be interesting to create a human Shoanti warrior who used the thunder and fang feat and starting him in Sandpoint would be an easy start. I originally created him to be a trapper ranger so he could work with traps but I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes so he could go normal ranger, slayer fighter, barbarian or bloodrager. I will do up a couple of crunches to see which fit with the other players. His original stats as a trapper ranger were: Str 18, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8, if I decide to change the class these may change, especially if I do bloodrager.

Sooooo tempted to post a character here, but got into one already :P im a glutton :P

Laufey Gemshrike - I don't find duplicate campaign traits a problem, so don't worry about changing it.

Jesse Heinig - Keep the OOC knowledge out of IC, and it won't be a problem.

DBH - In my face to face game, I had a core Rogue who switched to Unchained Rogue when it came out, and he found it pretty good. In combat it's very melee oriented as opposed to ranged, so there is that to consider.

bluesman95 - Welcome! PbP moves a lot slower than face to face games, but it allows for some great roleplaying.

Robert Henry - Submit the character using whichever build you prefer, whether Trapper Ranger or other. If we need to drop the archetype after recruitment ends, we can do that.

Seth86 - Aren't we all? :-)

Robert Henry - Submit the character using whichever build you prefer, whether Trapper Ranger or other. If we need to drop the archetype after recruitment ends, we can do that.

GM is dual-archetype ok?

I originally built Kunala as dual-archetype, Trapper and Falconer which would allow him to have a hawk companion at first level. His horse companions comes through the trait blood steed.

Well I've made my Rogue, Talia Burrows, she's not combat optimized in one area yet. Working on her personality a bit, her background is less sneaky thief and more the person who goes on archeological expeditions as the trap finder.

She took the 'Scholar of the ancients' and the 'Scholar of the great beyond' traits to show her past work and love of history. She may take a level or two of Bard later on if she's picked, for more knowledge skills.

A helpful, attractive half-elf, used to roughing it and dealing with unpleasant things in old ruins. She's in Sandpoint as a vacation before heading down to Magnimar to look for work.

I just need to do a little more buying for her gear and I'll post the crunch tomorrow.

As long as they don't replace the same class abilities, dual-archetype is fine.

I would note that the horse gained through Blood Steed does not advance in level. Eventually you may also get to a point where you're teleporting everywhere and the steed become superfluous, but I love the flavor of the trait. Very appropriate for a Shoanti.

Alright, I wracked my brain for something fun and decided upon a very weird idea: Aurex the Blessed(Accursed if you're another Kobold, lol), Kobold Paladin(Chosen One Archetype) of Apsu.

If this throw together seems interesting enough I'll further flesh him out.

Seth's application

Why not. here she is. Ignore whats in her profile, recycled profile :)

She is an entertainer. All her life. Travelled with other entertainers, which included her folks. Since a child she has had a knack for entertaining people. Cheerful. Yes. Thats how she would be described. Cheerful. Yes, she does have a sly, deviously sneaky streak to her, but it is usually all for good fun and games. Being who and what she is, folks usually let her get her way, or even believe some of the outrages stories she tells. But once again, usually for fun or even to defuse a situation. She seldom like to get into physical confrontations, and tries to talk her way out of said situations.

Yup I'm up for it. I ran it also for the beginning of book 4 but the group went poofski since one or two players became unavailable due to that silly thing called money via jobs.

Hmmm. I'd been thinking an Ulfen Bloodrager, but with the wide-open race choices I may rethink that. I love the Kobold paladin idea. That's one I've long wanted to try, but couldn't ever find a game with the right combination of race availability, high stat buy, etc. Decisions, decisions...

Race Undine
Sex Male
Class Witch with Winter Witch Archetype-aiming for Winter Witch prestige class (Ice, Ice, Baby, too cold, too cold)
Background still working
Personality and Motivations still working
Stats still working
Time Zone Eastern

Okay, so I should have included this in the character creation guidelines, but I would like everyone to list what their Favored Class Bonus is. That way I can get all of my math right.

A note RE: Kobold Paladins - I will likely only take one, if any, because that's an unusual enough combination that seeing one should be a once-in-a-lifetime event, let alone two in the same party. Please keep that in mind for your submissions.

stormcrow27 - I shiver with anticipation. Remember that heavily focusing on one element does make it easy for a well-informed enemy to effectively negate a good chunk of what you can do.

Oh, I wasn't planning on doing one. If I submit a Kobold (which is itself unlikely), it'd probably be an Oracle, Sorcerer, or something like that. Something that minimizes the Kobold's terrible strength.

Dotting and planning... I might make a Kitsune Oracle, with a liberal amount of Magical Tails to kick evil and look cool doing it.
Kitsunes should be around 10-12 RP, and allow alluring allitteration through shapeshifting shenanigans.

Combat stamina?

Hi Phntm! Definitely interested. Would it be okay to play a Zen Archer but with the Unchained Monk? :)

Let me know if there are any more questions!

Dotting! Plan to submit a Sensate Fighter, an aspiring monster-hunter of the Varisian region, looking to put her training at the hands of a master bounty hunter to the test!

Yup, but the witch has other attack magics, and the winter witch also can overcome cold resistance and immunity. Plus we get hexes, and hexes is the bestes of them precious.

Sapiens - By my estimation, a Kitsune would be worth 10 RP, so they're fine.

Laufey - The second interpretation fits the flavor of the character most, so please use that.

Raltus - I'm playing it by ear on that one. If I use it, I will likely lean towards making it Fighter Only.

The Chess - Zen Archer okay, Unchained Monk okay, but the archetype cannot be used with the Unchained Monk. The Zen Archery feature (use Wisdom to make ranged attacks with a bow) replaces the Monk's maneuver training, which the Unchained Monk does not have.

Jesse - Thank you very much for that.

Orannis - That is a fascinating archetype I didn't even realize existed. It looks genuinely intriguing.

stormcrow27 - So I read, but I still feel obliged to warn you.

Completed Submission List
Jesse Heinig - Isabella Monstrance, Aasimar Cleric
rdknight - Laufey Gemshrike, Half-elf Bloodrager

In Progress
DBH - Talia Burrows, ? Unchained Rogue
Robert Henry - Kulana, Human (Shoanti) Trapper/Falconer Ranger
Vetus Relator - Aurex the Blessed, Kobold Paladin (Chosen One) of Apsu
Seth86 - Cerenity, Aasimar (azata-blooded) bard (lotus geisha)

Interested
stormcrow 27 - Undine Witch (Winter Witch)
Ouachitonian
Sapiens - Kitsune Oracle?
Raltus
The Chess - Zen Archer/Unchained Monk?
Orannis - Sensate Fighter

Okay, so I should have included this in the character creation guidelines, but I would like everyone to list what their Favored Class Bonus is. That way I can get all of my math right.

Kunala's class bonus will be +1 hp,, a minor caveat my time zone is EST but I will be doing most of my posting in the wee hours of the morning,

Speaking of which, I should have Kunala's sheet posted tonight, eer I mean tomorrow morning.

I will update her story later today. Just after 12am here

Forgot a couple background/personality bits - will update sheet.

Alright, still polishing out the finer details but the bulk of the groundwork is done and his background and motivations in Sandpoint were already expounded fairly well in the initial post. I will still include a more exhaustive background when I get the opportunity.

This is the alias for Aurex. I still have to crunch the numbers with his inventory and add a spoiler with details for his Emissary Familiar(Vox the Ioun Wyrd).

I'll be finishing the remaining details over the next two days.

Orc trait

Favoured class bonus is Skill

I will pick up a Hand Axe and Hammer and silk rope

Rebuilding as a simple unchained monk, no archetypes. :)

Incidentally, if anyone else is playing a Sandpoint local, I'm all for shared character background elements with Isabella. :)

Alright thanks! I'll rewrite to merge Monster Hunter more completely.

Did you have an opinion on adding primalist as well as urban for archetypes?

Here is a more completed Talia Burrows. Half-elf Rogue.

She's taken the two scholar traits, Scholar of the Ancients for her campaign trait, and Scholar of the Great Beyond for Knowledge History.

Incidentally, if anyone else is playing a Sandpoint local, I'm all for shared character background elements with Isabella. :)

Not a local. But a regular. Id be happy to share =^^=

As long as they don't replace the same class abilities, dual-archetype is fine.

I would note that the horse gained through Blood Steed does not advance in level. Eventually you may also get to a point where you're teleporting everywhere and the steed become superfluous, but I love the flavor of the trait. Very appropriate for a Shoanti.

GM Phntm888 this is RH's Shoanti ranger, (trapper/falconer)

The class abilities do not overlap.

I like the flavor that both the horse and falcon add. Neither were selected for their "combat" skills and both can be left to roam. So leaving them for a period of time will not be an issue.

Is there anything else that you would like to see or know?

Also, I was looking for a language (on Google translate) for Shoanti, I was hoping for something similar to a native American language, but I am having no luck. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also, I was looking for a language (on Google translate) for Shoanti, I was hoping for something similar to a native American language, but I am having no luck. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Maybe Maori, Samoan, Hawaiian, or possibly Swahili? They all seem to have an overflow of syllables that would make for fun times. Hell, maybe even separate tribal dialects?

Took the +1 HP
Time Zone : GMT+2

When i go home i will edit profile to reflect the character =^^=

My time zone is EST -5:00 Ontario, Canada

Alright, I feel like I've finished the alias but I could have missed something. Figured I'd crush the remaining I had left before passing out for work tonight.

Also, I'm EDT Melbourne, FL.

I'm new to all of this but would love to get in on this game to really learn the ropes and figure it all out. Lincoln is a level 1 Gunslinger. Link to those close to him. I will post again with backstory, stats, etc.